'Lawmakers' Day 3: 1st look at Kemp's budget priorities; Legislative leaders prioritize affordability

On Wednesday, lawmakers started the day bright and early at the annual Eggs and Issues Legislative Breakfast. 

Legislators and business leaders gathered and discussed economic priorities on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Gov. Brian Kemp shared his budget priorities at the breakfast event, his last. 

As the state's top executive, Kemp said the state will invest $1.8 billion in new express lanes in the most congested sections of I-75 in Henry County. 

"Currently, 45% to 60% of commuters can't get in the express lanes when they need them the most," Kemp said. "This funding will enable GDOT and CERTA to address those issues head on. Our initial estimates indicate that once these express lanes are completed, as much as 70% more vehicles will be able to pass through that corridor during the rush hours. That's a great return on investment for our state."

Local road improvements will also be in the budget, Kemp said. He also announced new funds to curb homelessness in Atlanta ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

"Known as the Homelessness Response Grant, the state will make a one-time investment of $50 million that will be coupled with other funds from public, private, and nonprofit partners to launch this initiative," Kemp said. "Through very targeted use of funds, this grant will act as a force multiplier to complement the good work already underway by Mayor Dickens and other champions on [a] challenging issue. Awards will go to local governments and nonprofit organizations addressing street-level homelessness in Georgia, and it will ensure that every stakeholder, every stakeholder has equal skin in the game."

We will also see more workforce readiness in this legislative session, Kemp said. 

"In the coming days, my administration will propose the education and workforce strategy act," Kemp also said. "It will ensure the unprecedented collaboration between the university and technical college systems, the Georgia Department of Education, and others live on long after many of us today are no longer in the positions that we currently occupy."

Leaders of the House and Senate also took to the stage, emphasizing that affordability is this year's theme. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said the state will focus on limiting property tax and reducing the income tax this session. 

"Concentrate on the income tax — lowering it — and property tax — getting a handle on that — looking at insurance costs and everything else," Jones said. "Those are all things that are on people's mind right now and so as legislators it's our responsibility to focus on those issues that are you know concerning our constituents."

Republican senators say they will put forth legislation to gradually eliminate the state income tax. Speaker of the House Jon Burns (R-Newington), said the House will also double down on reducing property taxes, but through the homestead exemption. 

"The House will put forward legislation enabling the elimination of the Homestead Property Tax statewide," he said.

Burns also said that literacy and workforce readiness remain priorities of the House. He said lawmakers will push for an optometry school in Georgia. 

"Georgia does not have an optometry school, and we know that access to vision care is so important as we continue our efforts to strengthen literacy," he said. "Because that's what's more important to learning to read? What's more important to learning read than the ability to see in the classroom, right?"

He said the House will introduce legislation to put a reading coach in every elementary school in the state. 

After the event, Georgia Chamber CEO Chris Clark gave his perspective on the business impact of several hot issues at the Capitol, like reducing tax incentives on some industries. 

"I think some of that is worth us taking a look at," Clark said. "We do have some outdated tax incentives that are still on the books, but quite frankly when you look at that total amount out there it only comes around $3 billion every year so it's not $13 or $14 or $17 billion that's enough to make everything up. But I think at the end of the day even those states that don't have income taxes still have tax incentives. The difference is those states don't [have] an anti-gratuity clause. In Georgia, you can't give a grant directly to a company to do an expansion to come to Georgia. We don't allow that here, and so we really do use those tax credits differently."

Lawmakers advocating for income tax elimination say reducing some tax incentives will help make up for the loss in income tax revenue. 

After the event, lawmakers filed back to the Capitol. The House and Senate both met without passing any bills. 

On Thursday, more details about the governor's proposals are expected in his final State of the State address.

GPB's Lawmakers returns for Day 4 on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. on GPB TV.